Sticking clutch problem

[mikeamick]

When I drive my 98 truck around city driving pushing the clutch in a lot and often, after a while when I let up the clutch pedal
the clutch doesn't engage, then a sec or so later it pops and engages, chirping the tires or stalling.

Just looking for direction ...
thanks
mike

 

[fixizin]

Have you checked the clutch fluid reservoir?... tucked away, out of sight, out of mind... might be empty, sucking air--it takes regular DOT 3 Brake Fluid. The rubber diaphragm thingy, if original, is probably disintegrating, adding contamination to the equation. If it turns out to be the master cylinder--cheap fix, if it's the slave--spendy fix.

Please come back and post what you find...

 

[mikeamick]

Yea ,, I think you are right. Not that hard to change the master .. and it's very possibly the problem.

And .. Yep .. It might take me a bit to get to it .. (it's my trips to the dump .. Truck) but I will definitely report back.

Thanks
Mike

 

[Eddo Rogue]

+1 what he said. Also long shot but check the pedal linkage. Mine fell off and pedal dropped the floor when the dried out old retainer clip broke and the pushrod kept popping off.

 

[mikeamick]

I can see how that could happen. Pretty sure that's not my problem. Until the truck heats up, like the first half hour
of driving it around, it works perfectly. Then the thing starts this "not immediately engageing type thing" but thanks for an
alternative problem, I wont ignore it.

Mike

 

[fixizin]

Any update? Definitely sounds like you've got the "Perma-Bubble" of air trapped in the clutch master cylinder, and as under-hood temps rise, the bubble expands. Until you get that baby bled/replaced, park with your nose into the wind, or pop the hood if it's not a bad neighborhood, to drop those firewall temps, lol.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Air wouldn't do that, I had a very similar situation but it didn't "pop" back into use, it just kinda grabbed slowly over a minute or so, very inconvenient going over a mountain pass... In my case it was the master cylinder, if I had to guess it was a seal letting go not letting fluid return back to the reservoir or out of the hose and back into the master...

 

[mikeamick]

Wow, thanks for the additional info. It only happened one more time since the original post, but again, I only use it once a month or so,
but it was ugly and has me a little afraid of it. The master cylinder is really tucked back in there, looks hard to get at, is it as hard as it looks ?
Do I need to work under the dash at all or can it all be done on the firewall ?

 

[adsm08]

I would pop the rod off the clutch pedal and feel the pedal movement by hand.

I have seen a few times on that era where the clutch pedal pivot rod gets stuck. It goes through the brake pedal, and the brake pedal hangs and pivots on it. The clutch pedal's pivot rod gets rusty in the hole, then gets stuck.

 

[mikeamick]

Thanks, I'll look at that.